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As predicted by many, management-confidential employees will receive no satisfaction from the just-released budget bills, which contain no language addressing the proposal for the creation of a pay panel to determine fair raises for this non-unionized class.

To recap: Cuomo last fall vetoed a bill that would have created such a panel, stating that the overall salary structure for public employees should be “done within the context of the State budget.”

I can only say right now, that I am physically sickened by this reported news. It’s the difference between my family remaining solvent or not. It appears that I am going to have supplement my income with a second job…that means no more staying late, working through lunches, etc. to try to get the work done in our understaffed unit. New attitude on Monday is what gets done, gets done in my work day…No more to say…it’s just unbelievably discriminatory.

Easy way to save the state money and get raises for ppl who actually do work:
Get rid of Fran Reiter
Get rid of Alphonso David
Get rid of Larry Schwartz
Get rid of DOL Commissioner – he is just not qualified on so many levels to be the DOL Commissioner – send him back to the Bronx
Get rid of DOS Commissioner – He is just a puppet
Get rid of Howard Glaser
Most importantly get rid of Joe Percoco

Thank you Casey Seiler for keeping this issue on top!
Shouldn’t Senator DeFranciso be able to give an update – that is if his sponsorship of the MC salary bill was other than a token gesture?
“As predicted by many, management-confidential employees will receive no satisfaction from the just-released budget bills, which contain no language addressing the proposal for the creation of a pay panel to determine fair raises for this non-unionized class.

To recap: Cuomo last fall vetoed a bill that would have created such a panel, stating that the overall salary structure for public employees should be “done within the context of the State budget.”

It’s time for the Times Union and other media outlets to ask the questions and not allow for the governors legalese double talk. The question must be posed simply, why has the governor chosen one segment of his workforce to withhold raises for 6 years while the others have received raises. He must not be able to get away with not being in office when Paterson began this assault. The simple fact he is aware of the issue, he is aware that there is an imbalance and yet he has vetoed bills and ignored the problem repeatedly. He us a champion of equal pay issues but has a growing pay inequality occurring in his own workforce. I think if his equal pay for women legislation goes through, every M/C female employee should file a class action lawsuit against the state shoving his own law right down his arrogant throat.

Anyone thinking about accepting an M/C position in New York State should think long and hard about the prospects on zero raises for years to come. Essentially there will never be a dime for M/C employees in the “context of the budget” since politics will prevent it. Eventually the pay and benefits will become so low that minimum wage will surpass their wages (at least for the lower paid staff), and then and only then will Governor Andrew M. Cuomo raise their pay to the minimum wage because the Government would be out of compliance with its own rule. It is anticipated as pay and benefits decline for State workers many will be forced to leave to provide food, clothing and shelter for their families. At that time Governor Cuomo will replace them with overpaid consultants and friends and family at 10 times the price.

I’m voting against Cuomo & against my sitting Senator and Assemblyman. I will try to encourage as many others as I can to do the same. The urgent work I brought home this weekend, will now wait until Monday morning. No more unpaid OT for me. The State will be losing nearly a thousand extra hours a year from this MC. Screw them. Retirement and departure from this State in just a few more years.

The news media also needs to bring up the Governor’s attempt to bring “Fellows” into HUD when he was by his description, been so wildly successful. The truth is, his “Fellows” program at HUD was an unmitigated disaster, in which he was forced to shut it down, yet he has risen it from the dead with a bigger goal of having them widespread throughout all levels of management so he can continue to build his war chest offering jobs to the children of his benefactors through donations. He can publicly put out that he is cracking down on campaign reform issues but will be able to circumvent the issue by having a voting/donating block of Fellows and their families. He needs a billion dollars to run for president and therefore needs a lot of jobs to handout to his cronies

Dear Sickened: I feel the same as you. I literally feel sick to my stomach. Not only do I regret leaving a union position, I regret working for the State at all. Some change is now in order for all of us. I for one cannot possibly stand the idea of going to work Monday like nothing has happened. I will be leaving state service as soon as possible.

Fellows program is a joke. You got some fresh face working in Civil Service and the kid gets sent to all the CUNY/SUNY schools to stand at a table at job fairs and tell students that there are jobs in Civil Service, which is not the case on many levels. Then the internships which are offered are ALL not paid.

Andrew Cuomo is a miserable, rotten, lying, arrogant, disgraceful excuse for a human. No wonder he has no friends. Taking lunch from now on, leaving on time and not taking calls after hours and on weekends. Let’s see your dumb-ass “Fellows” save your sinking ship now. Screw you, Pal.

The next measure in this long and unsuccessful saga will be a push for another passage of a stand alone bill by the Legislature. If that takes place it will be months before the Legislature forwards the bill to the Governor (like last year). The Governor will wait till the last minute and veto it. Managerial/Confidential employees will be urged to send letters to State Senators and Assemblymen & Assemblywomen to override the veto. They won’t and the 2008 M/C salary schedule will remain the basis for all future payroll transactions!

It would be very interesting to see some data on the governor’s appointees in the “Executive Chamber” and elsewhere. They come in the side door and are given exempt positions because they are connected to someone. What an interesting expose that would be. GOER is full of them – high paid appointees who never took a test, but have connections. Another side-door access for people who can’t make it via a civil service test is the Public Management Intern Program, which provides a those who personify the Peter Principle with a fast track.

Just like I suspected the legislature caved in to the governor again. What I want to know is when is the times union going to question this bully gov as to why he does this to the mc’s? I’m surprised OMCE hasn’t put an update on their website yet. Usually they are quick to the punch .This is it for us. No raises for mc’s ever. Vote out silver, Klein, skelos, and this gov in November!

Does anyone know if any of the other bills attempting to address the M/C pay inequity issue make the budget? There were a number of proposals out there (for example, compute retirement benefits as if timely raises had been given, etc.)

All MCs need to take the same stance as 98.6% Free. Just stop putting in the extra hours because you have pride in your work product and were filling in the slack for all the staff that has not been replaced. Come in and work your set hours only. Do not respond to emails/blackberries over the weekend or at night. Do not bring work home. Executive staff and Chamber crisis are not yours – let them figure out how to get it done. If you’re not valued enough to be paid equal to lower level staff, then your work level may just need to be the equivalent of lower level staff. Maybe when things aren’t getting done the Gov will see the value of the entire NYS workforce. Morale was horrible before but it’s about to get worse. Any MC who votes for Cuomo is simply foolish because it directly impacts your every day quality of life. Disgust for this hypocrite keeps growing every day. ABC!!!!

Its time for female M/C’s to file lawsuits for unequal pay, and M/C’s of other ethnicities to file class action lawsuits for discrimination. Even if they are unsuccessful they will bring the matter to the press and to the courts that will shine a very unfavorable light on the governor and his practices, and will force him to address publicly and in court his rationale for placing these protected classes of people in unfavorable pay positions as well as positions paid lower than subordinates. I am serious, it is time to hit at every angle open to us

Listen, you know how the system works. You need to make a “contribution”.
Think of it as a meal out. You need to take care of the help. In this case there are 4 on the wait-staff. Remember the standard rule of thumb is 20% for large groups.

I accepted a promotion 6 years ago to a M/C Grade 23 from a PEF Grade 20. The people I supervise, PEF Grade 20, all make more money than I do and have the ability to make overtime to increase the pay disparity even more. I don’t know about you other M/C employees, but I am feeling a few sick days coming on this Monday and Tuesday. We should unite and every M/C employee should call out sick and watch the state come to a grinding halt.

The MC’s, sadly are not are not a priority. Remember the party of the middle class aka the Democrats (LOL) prefer to assist only those who are on the public dole or illegal. You know, that redistribution thing. The economy in NYS and US stinks as we are embarrassed by the current White House occupant in foreign affairs. Astorino for Governor!

Had enough yet, M/C’s??? Ready to join me yet in my work? They call me a radical, but the state hurt my children and crushed my work ethic years ago. Let the anger seethe long enough, and like built up steam, it finds a weak point and bursts out. They will never give us anything but lip service and the old glad-hand. They don’t have to. So what is left for you to do? You know what to do. It’s about time you did it.

Anyone who knows this issue well is aware that this Governor didn’t create the now persistent pay inequity for MC employees versus PEF or CSEA. I personally thought, however, that Andrew Cuomo would eliminate such an inequity fairly quickly upon taking office. We are now approaching the end of his first term and the pay difference between MC and unions, which amounts to about 9%, still persists. This is now a situation that has been in play since April 2009, about five years now. On some level I could almost understand some sort of desire to disperse previous appointees in MC positions by these means but a fair Governor would not do things this way realizing there are many MC employees in statutory graded competitive items that are in the lower grades that are being badly hurt by this thing. I am hopeful that the Legislature will again try to do something to fix this very soon this spring and that the Governor will put his signature on it. Though Mr. Cuomo didn’t create this, he is now most definitely a very big part of it since he hasn’t fixed it in an almost entire first 4-year term as NY Governor and he has even vetoed attempts to fix it and has also kept any potential resolution out of this year’s Budget Process. I have to say as a person who voted for him I am unpleasantly surprise this Governor has failed to resolve this.

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Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.